Best Bets in Sports: Picking on Two Struggling Pitchers

It’s a massive MLB slate on Tuesday with 17 games. The Yankees-Red Sox and White Sox-Royals are each playing doubleheaders. Picking on Adam Wainwright has been a constant theme this season and he gets a sizzling Orioles offense. Patrick Sandoval is another struggling pitcher to attack and getting a Julio Rodríguez prop at plus-odds is appealing. Here are the picks for tonight.

Julio Rodríguez OVER 1.5 total bases (+115 on bet365 Sportsbook)
Let’s hope he plays since the last three times I have written up Rodríguez, he has been scratched. Rodríguez has at least two total bases in 12 of the last 15 games. Last night, he went four-for-five with two runs, one double, a homer and two RBIs. In the 10th inning, he took a pitch low and away — almost on the ground — and hit it to center for a two-run homer to tie the score at 5. He has nine home runs in the last 14 games, including three in the past four. The Mariners outfielder is batting .328 against left-handers and faces one in Patrick Sandoval. Rodríguez is three-for-nine with two home runs against Sandoval.

Adam Wainwright OVER 3.5 earned runs allowed (-115 on bet365 Sportsbook)
Whenever Wainwright is on the mound, find something to bet against him. Last week, we hit on over 5.5 hits and it has increased to 6.5 this week. He has an 8.19 ERA, 1.98 WHIP, an 11.3% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate. The Cardinals right-hander is in the lower percentile of almost every statcast category. He has allowed at least four earned runs in five of the last seven games and the Orioles have scored at least 10 runs in four of the past five games. Wainwright has allowed 20 home runs in 89.1 innings. Consider Orioles’ hitter props as well, especially Gunnar Henderson.

Patrick Sandoval UNDER 6.5 strikeouts (-125 on BetMGM Sportsbook)
Sandoval only has a 19.5% strikeout rate and has an 11.2% walk rate. He has walked at least three in five consecutive games and has six strikeouts or fewer in six of the last eight games and 20 of his 25 starts. The Mariners have been crushing left-handers with a 149 wRC+ in the past 30 days. Seattle will likely have seven or eight right-handers in the starting lineup. Sandoval has gone five innings or fewer in six of his last eight starts. The high walk rate elevates his pitch count — great for this strikeout prop.

Yesterday’s Record: 1-2 (-1.1 units)
All-time Record: 28–12 (+12.39 units)